


I'd Come For You!

by ParadiseAvenger



Series: Kink Meme Fills [7]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, Kink Meme, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 13:00:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2389127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadiseAvenger/pseuds/ParadiseAvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"They realized he was the Dragon Master and took him away!" After a fight with Hiccup that ended in horror, Astrid will do anything to get him back and he will do anything to get back to her.</p><p>Spoilers for How To Train Your Dragon 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'd Come For You!

Kink meme fill. (Original prompt at bottom.) Too bad I can only paint with words, because this prompt was really crying for an art fill, but alas I have no such talents. 

**SPOILERS** for How To Train Your Dragon 2. 

I was incredibly inspired by **Nickelback’s song, “I’d Come For You,”** while I was writing this. Especially the lyrics: _“I can't believe I said I'd lay our love on the ground, but it doesn't matter 'cause I made it up. Forgive me now… I'd come for you! No one but you. Yes, I'd come for you, but only if you told me to. I'd fight for you. I'd lie—it's true. Give my life for you. You know, I'd always come for you…”_

X X X

It shouldn’t have happened, but Astrid Hofferson was tired. She was drained from being out in Berk all day, dealing with dragons and people alike. She spent most of the seemingly-endless night prying Phelgma the Fierce away from her jackass husband before she strangled him while Hiccup was off dealing with something else. There was a time when Astrid would have just sat back and watched the squabble ensue, but she couldn’t do that anymore. As Hiccup’s right-hand-woman, she had to be responsible—and not just for the Thorston twins or her dragon. No, now that she was the chief’s girlfriend and Stoick the Vast was gone, she had to take charge.

Dusk was falling like a velvet curtain as she trudged home to the house she shared with Hiccup. Usually, she liked summer on Berk, but right now the overgrown grass was pulling at her boots and irritating her. Plus, she was fairly certain she had asked Snotlout to do something about the tall grass earlier. 

“One thing,” she muttered and kicked aside a tuft of grass. “I asked him to do one thing.”

Astrid slammed open the front door of the Haddock house. It was dark inside and Astrid stumbled through the living room. Her foot caught on something in the darkness, she tripped, and both hands slammed down on the coffee table. Charcoal pencils clattered and rolled through the gloom. Cursing, Astrid kicked whatever had tripped her aside and finally made it to the hearth. Blind in the shadows, she constructed a small fire. She groped around for the flint, but couldn’t find it. 

“Great,” Astrid growled and threw down a handful of kindling. 

With a groan, she sat back on her heels and rubbed her face with her hands fiercely. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Hiccup saying something about there not being any flint left. She should have picked some up from the forge during the day, but Astrid had gotten too busy with everything else involved in taking care of the village and forgotten. She slumped onto her butt and stared at the blurred dark shape of the hearth. 

After a few moments of self-pity, Astrid dragged herself to her feet and walked towards the front door with both hands outstretched. She stumbled over the same stupid obstacle in the darkness and threw open the front door. In the fading light, she scanned for a nearby dragon to light the hearth fire. Fortunately, she spotted Hiccup and Toothless coming down over the crest of the hill. Hiccup was dirty and his steps were dragging, but Toothless bounded over to Astrid when he saw her. His entire body wiggled and his forked tongue lolled out of his mouth as he grinned gummily at her. No matter how frustrated she was, Astrid couldn’t help but scratch him under the chin. 

Hiccup looked up to see what Toothless was so excited about and smiled when he saw her. “Hey, Astrid,” he said softly. 

Astrid should have been happy to see Hiccup after such a long trying day, but she suddenly wasn’t. The very sight of him abruptly irritated her. Why did he have to be the chief? Why did he put so much faith in her ability to help him take care of Berk? Why wasn’t he home with her more often? She folded her arms across her breasts and glowered at him as he approached. “There’s no flint,” she snapped when he was within earshot. 

Hiccup glanced at her and put out a hand to settle Toothless’s excitement. “I told you that last night,” he said. “Remember? I had to have Toothless light it.”

“You should have picked some up today,” Astrid grumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Hiccup said kindly. He put his hand on her shoulder and brushed a chaste kiss across her cheek. “I’ll get some tomorrow, okay?”

Astrid pulled away from him. “That doesn’t help me now,” she growled. “I tripped over something stupid in the dark and then I couldn’t even light a fire.”

Hiccup opened the door a little wider so that Toothless could slip inside the house. The dragon bounded over the furniture and scattered objects that Astrid had knocked over in the dark. He settled down in front of the fireplace, opened his mouth, and breathed a tiny stream of flame onto the logs. They lit easily and flooded the house with warm amber light. Toothless crooned proudly.

Hiccup stepped over the threshold and stooped to pick up what proved to be part of his flight suit. 

A bubble of hot anger flared in Astrid’s chest. “Your flight suit?” she snapped. “I tripped over your flight suit? What was it doing in the middle of the floor?”

“I don’t know,” Hiccup remarked and folded the leather over his arm. “It might have happened when I stopped home for lunch. Remember?”

Astrid’s cheeks reddened. Boy, did she remember what they had done at lunchtime. Exhausted from a late night of working, a few hours of restless sleep, and then another early morning to deal with a herd of escaped yaks, Astrid and Hiccup had taken a small amount of time to relax while Gobber watched the village. Needless to say, they hadn’t relaxed much. 

Astrid’s shoulders remembered the press of the wall at her back, the edge of the counter beneath her bare thighs, her feet far from the floor as Hiccup cradled her against his chest. She had torn the flight suit from him frenetically, throwing it every which way in her haste to touch his skin. The scrape of his stubble on her breasts, the press of his hot mouth, the touch of his rough hands, and the hard length of him inside her was heaven. Astrid’s core ached with the memory of Hiccup sheathed inside her, moving, drawing her up and over the edge.

Hiccup smirked at her knowingly.

“Shut up,” Astrid growled and punched him lightly in the arm. 

Hiccup chuckled and toed off his boot. His prosthetic tapped on the wooden floor as he crossed to the kitchen and took several fish from the icebox. He tossed one to Toothless and the dragon gobbled it hungrily. Hiccup filleted the other two, seasoned them, and brought them to the fireplace. He cooked them slowly and Astrid felt a little of her frustration ebb as she watched him work. Finally, she knelt behind him and draped her arms over his shoulders. Hiccup took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“Feel better?” he asked gently.

She nodded and pressed her lips to the back of his neck, scraping her teeth lightly against his pulse. “Sorry about that,” she murmured. “I was just frustrated. It’s been a long day.”

“I know,” Hiccup agreed and rubbed her arm lightly as he turned the fish. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Astrid nodded and slowly unloaded her worries as they ate. She told Hiccup about Phelgma and her husband fighting, about Snotlout and the twins, about the rogue dragon that had knocked the bucket into the well and broken the rope so that Astrid had to climb in and fish it out, about the annoying grass. He had the decency only to laugh when she told him about the grass and she found herself laughing too. Hiccup’s laugh was contagious and her heart finally lightened. 

She crawled into Hiccup’s lap and put her arms around his shoulders. His body was hard against her breasts and he smelled like the woods. She nuzzled his neck, pressing kisses and little nibbles to the sensitive skin. She nipped the soft flesh over his pulse and then folded her mouth over his. She kissed him deeply, snaking her tongue into his mouth, and Hiccup melted against her. It was lunchtime all over again and Astrid wanted him. Being with Hiccup was easy. It was relaxing and wonderful. After such a raucous day, she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms.

“Let’s go upstairs,” Astrid whispered into his lips.

Hiccup moaned and she felt the evidence of how much he wanted her pressing up through his pants. “Astrid, wait,” he said. “Wait.”

“What?” she asked and kissed his jaw line. “Don’t you want to?”

“So much,” he groaned and gripped her hips to stop her from grinding against him. “But I… I have to go.”

Astrid froze and pulled back to look into his face. “What? Go where?” she asked and tucked some hair behind her ear. 

“I promised Mulch and Bucket that I would help them do some night fishing. We need more supplies,” he explained. 

She pushed away from him and stood with her back to him, arms folded hard over her chest as she fought to keep herself from crying. It was so unfair. She had never thought being with the chief would be so hard. He was gone at all hours of the night to help the village. He hardly slept anymore and she barely got to see him between his duties. It wasn’t enough. She couldn’t remember the last time they had gone to bed together and woken up together. She always woke alone, the sheets cold and empty.

“I hate this. I should be with Snotlout instead,” Astrid hissed under her breath.

“Astrid?” Hiccup breathed out in a small voice that reminded Astrid painfully of how insecure he could be. “What?”

“I said, I should be with Snotlout!” Astrid should have thought about her words, about how fragile Hiccup’s confidence was, about how unfair she was being, but she was too tired. She whirled on him, her eyes flashing with anger and tears. “I should never have loved you!”

Hiccup’s green eyes widened.

“Sure, he’s stupid and useless, but at least he’d be home with me! Whenever I want him, he’d be there for me!”

“Astrid—”

“No!” she snapped at him. “If you have to go, just go! Maybe I won’t be here when you get back!”

“Wait—”

“Get out, Hiccup!” she shrieked. She grabbed the helmet for his flight suit and threw it at him. “Just go! You’re never here anymore!”

“Astrid, please—”

“Just get out! I hate you! Leave me alone!” she screamed and whirled away. She stormed up the stairs to his loft bedroom and stood, shaking with rage, just on the other side of the door. She listened as Hiccup told Toothless to stay with Astrid and keep her safe. Then, the front door opened and closed softly. Hiccup was gone into the night to take care of Berk. Tears burned in Astrid’s eyes. She stood staring at their empty unmade bed, thinking of yet another night she would spend sleeping alone. 

Toothless warbled softly and she heard the dragon’s talons click on the floorboards as he climbed the stairs. The great black dragon nudged the door open and regarded Astrid with soulful yellow-green eyes. He crossed to her and butted his head against her belly.

Astrid crumpled. She put her arms around the dragon’s neck and sobbed into his scales. “I know,” she cried. “I know, but I miss him. I miss him so much. He’s never home anymore.”

Toothless crooned and rubbed his head into her shoulder comfortingly.

“I know he has to take care of the village, but… what about me? I miss him, Toothless,” Astrid said softly. 

Toothless chuffed lightly as if to tell her that Hiccup missed her too. 

Sniffling, Astrid pulled away and pushed her mussed hair back from her face. 

Toothless nosed her gingerly and licked away her tears. 

“I’ll make it up to him when he comes home tomorrow,” Astrid promised the dragon. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him. I shouldn’t have told him that I didn’t love him.”

Toothless warbled and bobbed his head.

Astrid pressed a kiss to the tip of the dragon’s nose. Then, she unbraided and combed her golden hair, stripped out of her armor, and climbed into their bed. She hugged Hiccup’s pillow to her chest and breathed in the scent of him. It was nothing like sleeping in his arms, but it was better than nothing. Exhaustion overcame her quickly and she fell into a dreamless sleep. 

…

Astrid Hofferson woke to a horrendous pounding on the front door. It sounded as if someone was trying to hammer in a nail in the middle of the night and that just didn’t happen in Berk. Toothless jolted awake with a growl and rushed down the stairs, knocking over furniture in his haste. Astrid threw off the covers, shoved her bare feet into boots, and rushed after him. She jerked open the door and stared incredulously at Mulch, Bucket, and Fishlegs Ingerman. 

“What is it?” she asked when she saw the pale panic in their faces. “What happened?”

“It’s Chief Hiccup, Miss Astrid,” Bucket said quickly and folded his hands together urgently. 

“Hiccup?” Astrid repeated and her blood went cold. “What happened? Tell me everything.”

“It was terrible,” Bucket wailed and lifted a hand to the bucket the protected his head. “Horrible! Awful!”

“Shut up, Bucket. Let me explain,” Mulch snapped and shoved his friend aside. “Hiccup met us at the pier and we sailed out, but we got caught in an undertow and drifted out into pirate waters.”

Astrid’s breath caught. “Pirate waters,” she repeated.

Mulch nodded. “Hiccup fought valiantly, but he couldn’t beat them all—”

“Even with that flaming sword of his,” Bucket added mournfully. 

“They realized he was the Dragon Master and took him away,” Mulch continued. 

“They chained him,” Bucket wailed. “They shackled him.”

A cold knot coiled in Astrid’s belly and she resisted the desire to wrap her arms around herself. Pirates had taken Hiccup. Odin only knew what might happen to him while he was their prisoner. There were plenty of stories floating around the archipelago, but it was hard to tell what was fact and what was fiction. She could only hope that most of the tales were exaggerated. She didn’t quite dare hope they were entirely untrue. She knew that was unrealistic. 

“They took his leg and threw it into the sea,” Bucket moaned sorrowfully. “It sank.”

“Shut up, Bucket,” Mulch said again and continued. “They destroyed our ship. Bucket and I hid under the wreckage, pretending to be dead, until they were gone. We managed to hitch a ride on some Thunderdrums to get home.”

“How long ago was this?” Astrid asked.

Mulch regarded the position of the stars in the moonless sky. “Two… maybe three hours,” he said. 

Astrid turned to Fishlegs. “Why are you here? What’s wrong?”

“They woke me up first,” Fishlegs explained, “since my house is the closest to the docks. I brought them to you.”

“We need to fly out as soon as possible,” Astrid said. “Wake the other Dragon Riders and meet me on the beach in twenty minutes. The pirates can’t have gotten far. We need to rescue Hiccup.”

“We can’t find them in the dark,” Fishlegs protested, “even with our dragons. We’ll just get lost.”

“We won’t,” Astrid said and put her hand on Toothless’s head. “Hiccup left Toothless with me. He can use his echolocation to see in the dark.”

Fishlegs stared at Toothless and then at Astrid’s wild halo of golden hair. “Why would Hiccup leave Toothless behind?”

Astrid swallowed thickly. Already terrible thoughts were churning in her head. If Hiccup had taken Toothless with him, he would have been able to fight off the pirates without a problem. But Astrid had been yelling and upset and Hiccup left Toothless behind to comfort her. If only they had been together… “You’d have to ask him,” Astrid forced out. 

Fishlegs pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Come on,” Astrid snapped. “We’re losing time. Wake the others. Now!”

Fishlegs scrambled away, tripping over himself in his hurry.

“Thanks for telling me,” Astrid said to Bucket and Mulch. “I’m glad you made it back safely, but I have to go after Hiccup now. If we’re not back by morning, I want you to tell Gobber what happened.”

The pair of anglers nodded. 

Astrid whirled back into the Haddock house with Toothless at her heels. She quickly buckled Toothless into his flight harness and strapped on his prosthetic tail. Then, she rushed upstairs and jerked on her armor and weapons. She scraped her hair into a sloppy braid and tossed it back over her shoulder. She pounded down the stairs, swung onto Toothless’s back, and managed to fit her foot into the stirrup. When she opened the prosthetic tail, the dragon burst into the air and flew to the beach. 

“Let’s go, Toothless,” Astrid said. “We’ll get Hiccup back.”

Fishlegs and the Thorston twins were waiting when she arrived. Astrid could see the bright lantern of Snotlout and his Monstrous Nightmare in the distance. She and Toothless landed hard on the sand and Toothless grumbled. Astrid rarely flew Toothless without Hiccup and she wasn’t entirely sure how, but she would make it work until she had Hiccup back.

“Thanks for coming,” Astrid said once Snotlout landed beside them. “Did Fishlegs tell you what happened?”

Ruffnut nodded and brushed at her sleep-mussed hair. “Yeah, something about a Hiccup emergency.”

“Hiccup has been kidnapped by pirates,” Astrid said. “We need to find him and bring him home as soon as possible. We’ll stay together while we search because we’ll probably have to fight. Let’s go!”

The Dragon Riders burst into flight. The darkness of the ocean and sky enfolded all around them. It was a beautiful night, but moonless and black save the distant stars. Astrid patted Toothless on the head, the Night Fury unleashed his loud strange cry, and Astrid felt the vibrations of it along her skin. Toothless listened for a long moment. Then, he chuffed softly and turned his head from side to side. Beside them, Meatlug’s nostrils flared as she scented the night air. Neither dragon appeared to locate anything that could lead them to Hiccup. They flew well into the night. Though they found the ruined remains of the Viking longboat, there was no sign of the pirates or Hiccup. 

…

Several days passed. Although Astrid and Toothless spent every waking moment searching the ocean and nearby islands for Hiccup, she hadn’t been able to find hide nor hair of him. It was as if he had sailed over the edge of the earth. With each passing day, Astrid’s heart broke more and more. She couldn’t stop thinking that if she hadn’t acted the way she had, Toothless would have been with Hiccup and he would be with her right now. If Toothless had been with him, he would have been safe. Tears burned her eyes and she wiped them hastily away with the back of her hand. 

The bright sun glinted off the waves, blinding Astrid. As they drifted over the endless ocean, Toothless crooned low in his throat. There was nothing but waves as far as the eye could see. There wasn’t even an island to break the monotony and there was no sign of pirate ships. At least they hadn’t found a body either, Astrid tried to tell herself, but that didn’t make her feel any better. The thought of finding Hiccup dead made her sick to her stomach and she choked on the knot in her throat. 

Astrid patted the top of Toothless’s great head. “We’ll find him,” she told the dragon. “We have to.”

Toothless warbled sadly. 

After a fruitless afternoon of searching for Hiccup, Astrid returned to Berk in time to eat a quick meal and let Toothless rest for a little while. She was sitting alone in the Great Hall, staring into her mug of mead with self-loathing, when Fishlegs shook her shoulder fiercely. 

“What?” Astrid snapped at him.

His eyes were bright and eager, he was practically vibrating with excitement, and he jumped from foot to foot. “Trader Johann is here!” he exclaimed.

“I don’t care,” Astrid ground out and turned back to her half-eaten meal. “I need to find Hiccup.”

Fishlegs shook her again and turned her sharply away from the plate. “Listen to me! Johann knows where Hiccup is!”

Astrid’s heart stopped and she leaped to her feet. “What? Where?”

“Near Itchy Armpit. Apparently the pirates have a hideout there and he heard them talking about how they were going to sell the Dragon Master to the highest bidder,” Fishlegs explained. “But we have to hurry. Johann saw them there two days ago. It took him a while to sail all the way to Berk.”

Astrid grabbed Fishlegs by his tunic and dragged him out of the Great Hall. She called for Toothless and the black dragon rushed to meet her. She swung herself into the saddle and spurred Toothless into the air. Fishlegs raced to Meatlug and followed after them like shadows. They met up with the twins and Snotlout near the docks. Trader Johann’s ship was docked and he waved eagerly at Astrid, but she barely spared him a glance. As quickly as possible, the Dragon Riders rushed directly to Itchy Armpit. Astrid’s heart was in her throat the entire way. What if she got there too late? What if the pirates had moved on? What if Hiccup was already gone? What if he was… dead? 

Then, finally, Itchy Armpit came into view. The group circled the small fog-shrouded island, searching for the pirates among the endless sea stacks and burgeoning orange trees. For one heart-stopping moment, it appeared they were too late. There was no sign of the pirates or of Hiccup. 

Then, Snotlout pointed and shouted, “There!”

Astrid turned her head so fast that her neck cracked. 

Just around the tallest crest of Itchy Armpit’s many mountains and sea stacks, the ocean opened like a blank canvas. Just beyond, there was a small fleet of massive ships cutting through the water swiftly at full sail, but they were no match for dragons. Astrid clenched her hands into fists and squeezed Toothless with her thighs. She gestured easily for the others to fall within earshot as they circled through the fog.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Astrid ordered. “The priority is to find Hiccup, get him out, and get home. If we need to take out the pirates, we will do so later. There are five ships. We’ll each search one and I’ll take the flagship. Understood?”

Everyone nodded and claimed the ships they would search. 

Astrid turned her attention back to the flagship and glared at the grinning skull of the Jolly Roger. How dare they take Hiccup from her. How dare they! As if sensing her emotions, Toothless growled and banked steeply through the fog so that Astrid lost her breath. She clung to the saddle and shifted the prosthetic tail.

Then, all at once, hell broke loose. 

The Dragon Riders swooped out of the sky and descended on the pirate ships. The first Zippleback head breathed out a huge cloud of gas and the second head lit it with a fantastic explosion. The twins whooped with joy and gave each other high fives before twirling out of the way of a large net. Fishlegs hung back cautiously in case someone needed help and sent massive blasts of molten lava onto the ship directly below him. Snotlout was a whirlwind and Astrid realized that he really cared about his cousin. Snotlout leaped from the back of his Monstrous Nightmare and landed on the deck with a bang. He tossed several pirates overboard and then dove below deck while Hookfang waited on deck, his entire body flaming. 

Astrid descended on the flagship with Toothless and, much to her surprise, she found it already in the throes of panic and battle. Her first thought was that one of the others, maybe one of the twins, had ignored her and come to search the flagship instead, but she could still see their dragon in the sky and she knew Snotlout was searching another ship.

Toothless landed with a loud thump, snarling and baring his teeth, but he did not yet waste a shot of firepower. Astrid leaped down from his saddle and slung her axe down from her shoulder. Gripping it with both hands, she cleaved several pirates across the breast and watched them tumble into the frigid ocean. Her eyes focused on the shaft of darkness that led below deck. She thought about asking Toothless to stay above, but he spotted the opening and was already rushing for it. She raced after the dragon and tripped down the stairs after him.

The darkness was like a cloak. Thin light streamed in through barred overhead and revealed a few cabins with the door firmly closed and another set of stairs that led down into the hold. She crashed open the first door and found it empty save for a hammock and some strew clothes. She wanted to scream Hiccup’s name and her throat ached with that desire, but she didn’t dare give away her position. She had no idea how many pirates had taken shelter below deck when the dragons attacked. 

Toothless pushed open a door with his nose and sniffed inside. Astrid peered around his head and saw a pirate lying dead on the floor. His pants were around his ankles and his face was a mask of horror, mouth open and eyes staring sightlessly. Toothless sniffed again and his nose curled with disdain. Then, his lips pulled back over his teeth and he growled. 

“Hiccup?” Astrid whispered as loudly as she dared.

She pushed open the next cabin door. With a roar, someone launched themselves at her. She already had her axe in motion and sliced the hands off a pirate before he could fasten them around her throat. For a moment, they both just stared at his missing hands. Then, Astrid drove her axe into his skull. She didn’t have time for mercy. She needed to find Hiccup. 

There was only one door left in the short hall. Astrid pushed it open, but found it empty. There was only the hold remaining to search. She and Toothless awkwardly turned around in the narrow space and made their way back towards the dark shaft. Astrid dropped down the stairs from the wrong side and landed in a crouch. It was incredibly dark in the hold with the only light shining through a single dingy porthole. She blinked rapidly, hoping her eyes would adjust to the light. Then, she crept slowly down the stairs, axe extended before her cautiously. 

Toothless stared down at her since the opening was too small for him to fit through. He warbled with concern, nostrils flaring. Astrid was almost off the stairs completely when something hooked around her ankle and jerked her feet out from under her. She shrieked and Toothless fired a single bolt of raging fire into the wooden floor. Something caught in the darkness, maybe spilled gunpowder or a stray crate. Light flared through the small dark space.

Someone lunged at Astrid and she saw the flash of a sword. Instinctively, she lifted her knee into her assailant’s chest and knocked the wind out of him. She continued the momentum and sent him crashing over her head. Then, she rolled to her feet, grabbed her axe, and lowered herself into a defensive crouch as her eyes adjusted to the light. The man crawled awkwardly back onto his feet and Astrid stared at him through the flickering firelight. 

He had the look of a cornered dragon, enraged and wary and dangerous. His chestnut hair was wild, his lips were pulled back to bare his white teeth, the corner of his mouth was split and bloody, and his eyes were like twin blades shining in the firelight. He was rather thin for a pirate, without the bulging muscles and tattoos of the others Astrid had cut down. Blood and grime streaked his bare chest and thighs, bruises covered his hips and throat, and bands of welts circled his wrists and ankles. She realized with a jolt that he was completely naked. His left leg was missing below the knee in a terrible curl of scars and he leaned heavily on the sword as a makeshift crutch. 

Astrid’s eyes snapped back to his face and then, her heart stopped. “H-Hiccup?”

Familiar green eyes widened. For a moment, he hesitated and then stumbled towards her desperately. “A-Astrid,” he whispered.

She dropped her axe and rushed to him, throwing her arms around his chest and supporting his weight when he let go of the sword to embrace her. He buried his face into her hair and she felt his entire body tremble as he breathed out. 

“Astrid, Astrid,” he whispered.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she said.

He nodded gratefully. 

Astrid pulled his arm over her shoulders and helped him hobble up the stairs, leaving behind her axe. Gobber could always make her another axe, but nothing could replace Hiccup. Toothless licked Hiccup’s bare torso happily when his rider stumbled up the stairs. 

“Later, bud,” Hiccup promised the dragon. He heaved himself into the saddle and extended a hand for Astrid even though she didn’t need it. She clambered in front of him so that he could use her body as a shield for his nudity and he wrapped his arms tightly around her narrow waist. She fit her foot into the stirrup since Hiccup didn’t have his prosthetic. With a happy sound, Toothless exploded out of the ship and flew through the sky. 

“I have him!” Astrid shouted over the din of battle. “He’s here!”

Fishlegs whistled loudly to call back the others.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut jumped back onto their dragon and took to the sky, leaving behind a slew of wounded pirates and a steadily sinking ship. Hookfang’s bright eyes darted between Hiccup and the dark opening where Snotlout had disappeared. Then, the dragon stuck his entire face into the opening and breathed hot air. A moment later, Snotlout rushed out and looked up at the sky with his hand shading his eyes. Astrid waved for him to join them. Immediately, Snotlout rushed to his dragon and joined them in the sky. They all hung in the air together for a moment, relieved after long days and nights of searching for their friend. 

Then, Hiccup reached around Astrid, put his hand to Toothless’s head, and said softly, “Blast them, bud.”

Toothless growled and his lip curled back over his teeth as he did as his rider asked.

No one asked why Hiccup wanted all the pirates dead. They watched in silence as the burning ships sank beneath the waves. The surviving pirates floundered in the frigid waters for a while before freezing to death and disappearing into the dark depths. Sea-dwelling dragons and schools of fish would probably devour them later. 

“Let’s go home,” Astrid said when the last pirate was gone. “Fishlegs, give Hiccup your tunic.”

With a nod, Fishlegs pulled off his tunic and passed it to Astrid. Luckily, he wore a fur-lined vest beneath it and wouldn’t freeze during the flight home. She handed it to Hiccup and gripped his thigh tightly as he tugged it on over his head. For her part, Astrid took off her fur-lined boots and helped Hiccup shove his cold foot into one. The other, she fit over his stump and hoped the thick furs would be enough to keep it on. Snotlout drifted closer to them and removed his helmet. He leaned dangerously far over to place it on Hiccup’s head. 

“Thanks, guys,” Hiccup murmured.

Snotlout smiled silently and his eyes were soft.

“No problem,” Ruffnut said with a grin.

“Yeah, we liked sinking the ships,” Tuffnut added. “Let’s do it again!”

“Welcome back. Are you alright?” Fishlegs asked Hiccup

Hiccup nodded slowly and said, “I will be.”

The group of Dragon Riders drifted through the cloudless sky and headed back home to Berk. The cool air pressed on Astrid’s skin and fluttered through her hair. Her heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. She held Hiccup’s hand tightly, as if he would disappear if she let go. She waited until the others had lapsed into mindless conversation before she allowed the guilt to gnaw at her. Hiccup was beaten and bloody, scarred by whatever had happened on that ship, and it was probably her fault. There was a chance he wouldn’t have been able to fight off the pirates even with Toothless, but her heart told her that if he had been with Toothless, he would have been fine. She had to apologize. 

Astrid squeezed his hand tightly and tears clogged her throat as she struggled to speak, “Hiccup, I—”

He buried his face into the back of her neck and she felt his lips tremble on her skin. Then, he whispered, “Astrid, you came for me?”

For just an instant, she hesitated and then said, “I… I love you.”

Hiccup’s lips curled into a soft smile that she felt on her skin. Then, he kissed her gently just behind the ear and tightened his arms around her waist. 

Astrid knew then that he didn’t blame her. He never would have. No matter what had happened the night the pirates attacked Bucket, Mulch, and Hiccup, something would have happened. It was just a question of what. Hiccup understood that, but he knew she would find him. She would always find him. She always had.

“I’d always come for you, Hiccup,” Astrid whispered.

X X X

Prompt: After the second movie, Hiccup is captured and his friends rush to rescue him. They find him—bloody, beaten, and using a sword as a crutch. (IDK, I just want a pissed off Hiccup leaning on a sword he probably used to cut off a few heads with.) Bonus points if he's naked and there're implications of rape.

Questions, comments, concerns?

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